2015 New York - Honda lights up New York with the Civic Concept

It’s official. Honda has had enough of it. Stung with criticism that flew in from all directions for its conservative and evolutionary approach in the current Civic, Honda has decided to create a ruckus with the upcoming tenth-generation model. How else can we describe this bold and sexy coupe in 'neon green' that took New York by surprise? There is nothing, and we mean nothing, remotely conservative here. 

If all Honda wanted is us to sit up and take notice, well, they have succeeded in their attempt big-time.

Following the brand’s 'forward H' design philosophy, the new Civic sports a longer wheelbase and a lower and wider stance. Featuring bold surfaces, prominent character lines and deeply-sculpted bumpers and air intakes, the Civic Concept oozes sportiness from every angle. A huge rear spoiler, sleek LED headlights, boomerang-shaped DRLs, flared wheel arches, a single-piece taillight cluster that runs the full width of the car and the raked window-line that ends with a subtle yet sharp kink are eye-catchy and would have, no doubt, attracted stares from show-goers. If Honda's statements are to be believed, this radical new concept provides more than a glimpse of the production model that's slated for debut later this year. 

To match its styling prowess, the new Civic would feature Honda's new 1.5-liter turbocharged, direct injection, VTEC engine. Transmission options are said to include a short-shifting 6-speed manual and a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). A strong-seller in the mature North American market, the new Civic will feature the 'Honda Sensing' safety suite that include Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning, Multi-Angle Rearview Camera, Adaptive Cruise Control and Honda LaneWatch, along with the firm's next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure.  

When it goes on sale, the new Civic line-up would include the regular Sedan, Coupe and 5-door Hatchback variants, as well as the sporty Si and Type-R variants in different markets. We Indians missed out completely on the ninth-generation Civic when Honda didn't bother to replace the stylish eighth-generation model here. They better don't do let us miss out on this upcoming one though.